Shorts Report post Posted December 1, 2010 Ok, I got some comic relief from fixin' my boot zipper this morning. I thought I'd share with folks who'd understand. The story is (bear with me), a couple months ago I took my work boots to the been-there-forever-on-Main-St.-boot shop and had them install side zippers. I asked them to do it because I figured I'd screw it up if I tried. Besides, being a shoe/boot shop I thought they'd have fancy shoe/boot stitching machines. When I picked up my boots I immediately saw a problem. The knot of the thread was on top of the leather on most the stitch line, indicating the machine wasn't tensioned right. I didn't like it but I decided to let it be and wear the boots. The boots were great, for about a day. Just as I figured the stitching broke, unraveled and now I had a boot zipper with a blowout. I figured I'd take the boot in and ask them to repair it. I procrastinated. As I did, my boot got more loose and the hole got bigger to the point that the zipper was only held on by the top couple of stitches and the remaining line of stitching on the bottom half. This morning I got mad and said I'd fix it myself. I grabbed my needle and thread and proceeded to handstitch the gap. I had to laugh at myself. I felt like a total newb who googled "leather stitching" for the first time. The repair isn't pretty but I think it'll hold. I glued the zipper edge on to the boot, then ran a single needle up and back. I made certain to backstitch "so it don't come undone. Don't want to skimp on the repair." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirtclod Report post Posted December 2, 2010 Looks like it last better than the job you paid for. I had to laugh a little when i seen you did a search on hand sewing. Figured you were like the rest of and started out hand sewing till we bit the bullet and bought a machine. People used to bring boots in to me and want zippers put in or fixed and i wouldn't do it. Zippers and me don't get along...LOL. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shorts Report post Posted December 2, 2010 Looks like it last better than the job you paid for. I had to laugh a little when i seen you did a search on hand sewing. Figured you were like the rest of and started out hand sewing till we bit the bullet and bought a machine. People used to bring boots in to me and want zippers put in or fixed and i wouldn't do it. Zippers and me don't get along...LOL. haha Actually you're correct. I did start out hand stitching. Did that the first year then moved up to a machine. What I did feel like was a newb in that I had no idea what I was doing on the boot and zipper even though I feel I can hold my own with holsters Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirtclod Report post Posted December 2, 2010 You do make some mighty nice looking holsters for sure !! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites